Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/250

Chaj>. VII. Of:MANCHESTER. n* in their coding ftream* from the chaee,orwhen the bold bands <rf the Britift warriors were muttered upon their banks for fight: Such are the Avcms the Cams the Tames the Tynes and the Edetis of other counties 5 and foch are the Ribble the Douglas the Lad and the Calder of our own* And thus moft of our Mancunian currents received at or before this period the very fame deno- minations with which we diftinguiih them at prefent. The rivulet which rifes in the hills of Oldham, leads its wildly -plaintive ftream along the narrow bottom of the deep dale that divides Droylfden and Failfworth, Clayton and New- ten, and at laft winded in more filcnt dignity around the fylvaa forfrefs of die Britons in the Caftle-field, received a particular denomination from them, and was called Medlock or the Fair Stream. Med Mad or Mat fignifies fair, and Lug Log or Ldc the water. The former conftitutes half the name in the famous Medway or the Roman Madus, as the latter forms the whole of the name in the river Loxa of Scotland and in the river Logia of Ireland '• And both were formerly united together in the title of a current m Derbyfltire, which, as appears from the name of the gay moufttain-vHIage on its banks, was originally cBftinguifhed by the feme appellation of Matlock. . The little brook that fldrfs the gentle eminence of Calley- banks on the weft obtained the appellation which if ftitl re- tains of the Tibia or Tib. This ftreamlef, oozing from a fmall colle&ion of water which ftagnates ifc NewtOn-lane and is fed by the drainings of the contiguous fields, lingers along the fide of the lane, and has almoft all its waters diverted into the great refervoir of the town at the conclusion of if. Thus confiderabfy reduced, if trickles unobferved acrofs the road to Shude-hiH and beneath a fmall bridge of ftone, and fcarcely con- ducts its little rill along the borders of the growing' town, athwart the upper end of Market-ftreet-lane, and acrofs the opening into Tib-lane, but communicates its name to the fatter, and a little befow CaHtey-banks very feebly difcharges its waters into the Medlock. The Britifh denominations of our river? have been F f 2 ftrangely